The Breaking of Naruto
by etErnALChaOsMaKer
Summary: Can Uzumaki Naruto really be a cheerful ray of sunshine in the light of his treatment in Konoha? Our hero has cracks in his psyche. When they are forced out of the darkness, he will never be the same again. One-shot.


"Final match of the preliminaries. Yamanaka Ino vs. Uzumaki Naruto!"

Ino was elated. Watching the unbelievable power and speed of a fellow leaf genin only a couple of years older than her had shaken her confidence. Even more disheartening was the sight of the very same Rock Lee getting thrashed by his opponent, Gaara of the Desert (and what a fitting name _that_ was). She had hoped to get an easy opponent like Sakura or Chouji. Even Kiba would have been manageable. As the matches went on, she had become increasingly anxious on seeing them beaten one after another in glaringly one-sided fights. It was obvious to anyone with a smidgen of intelligence that there was nothing random about the 'random' match-up system. The genin perceived as the weakest were being eliminated by forcing them to fight with strong opponents, no doubt to make the finals more interesting for the crowd.

By that same logic, the powers that be must have wished to see the beautiful and powerful Yamanaka Ino show off her talents at the finals, as it should be. "At last! It's time for my beauty to shine! Watch me pound Naruto-baka into the ground, Sasuke-kun!" She only wished that her match wasn't the last one scheduled. The foreign shinobi had all already left. They were probably only interested in Sasuke-kun, the children of the Kazekage and perhaps that cute Hyuuga genius, Neji. Besides, they probably wanted to keep a close watch on that crazy Gaara. Other than Hokage-sama and the proctor, only the jounin sensei of the Rookie Nine and that ghastly Spandex Man were still around, as a show of support. Oh well, at least the medics had patched up Kiba and Billboard-brow. They shall be witnesses to her glory!

Uzumaki Naruto jumped into the arena from the balcony. "Heh heh! This match is totally sealed up! It's just Ino!"

Ino could feel the tic forming on her temple. That idiot was so going to get it! Honestly, wasting his energy by jumping from over there. Could he make this any easier for her? Still, she was going to make sure she got through without a scratch. Naruto will probably keep on the move to make it harder to use her Mind-Body Switch technique. That is, if he even knew what she can do!

The proctor looked them over to make sure that they were ready. "Begin!"

Immediately, Ino make a couple of clones and mingled into them. Surprisingly, Naruto also made two clones appear, though the hand seal was different. She didn't know he could even do the Clone technique. Deciding to be cautious, she drew a few shiruken from her pouch and let them fly, making sure that her clones mimicked her. She only aimed for the legs. Irritating though Naruto was, she didn't want to hurt him too much.

His momentary surprise cost him as all three were hit. Two of them vanished in puffs of smoke while the real Naruto ignored the shiruken stuck in his thigh and charged straight at her. Through dumb luck, no doubt, he was heading for her and not her clones.

She had just about finished the seals for her technique when Naruto closed in and landed a heavy punch to her stomach. It hurt, a lot more than she expected, but it was too late. Seriously, did he ever plan ahead? She wouldn't be surprised if he had no idea of what she was capable of. She was proficient enough at this that she didn't need to name the technique anymore.

Her body flew back but her consciousness rapidly closed on Naruto and entered into his body. She could feel his spirit being displaced, but of course the sensation would be totally alien to him and he would faint before he could direct his detached consciousness to any useful purpose.

Naruto's face had a satisfied smirk as Ino raised 'her' hand to forfeit the match. Really, it wasn't even necessary. If this was an actual fight, the enemy would have been captured and brought back for some quality time with Daddy.

Unfortunately for Ino, her thought process came to a screeching halt when her body got up from where it had fallen and let loose a terrified shriek.

The proctor was shaking his head in disappointment at the extremely short match just seconds ago. He had been just about ready to announce the match in the Yamanaka heir's favour. Now, he settled back into his relaxed and balanced stance. "Hmmm. It looks like this match might be interesting after all."

Naruto was in a panic. He almost had the match in the bag and now Ino had used some weird technique to turn him into a girl against his will. Thankfully, he (or was it _she_ now?) had clothes on unlike his Sexy technique. He shuddered, thinking of Sakura's reaction if she ever found out about his perfect anti-pervert technique.

Ino was already livid, though. "What the hell? Give me back my beautiful body, Naruto-baka!"

Naruto always gave back as good as he got. "You're one to talk, Ino! You stole my perfectly super awesome ninja body! Aw, this stupid substitute sucks! What did you do all day, comb your hair while smiling at a mirror? I feel sooooo weak!"

Sakura threw a look of mixed glee and hope at Sasuke. "Heh, even Naruto-baka thinks the Pig is weak. I know you'll only take a strong kunoichi as your wife, Sasuke-kun!"

Uchiha Sasuke only rolled his eyes without looking away from the match. Though that was true, Sakura wouldn't be making the cut any time soon, hopefully never. He shuddered when his treacherous mind supplied a vision of little pink-haired Uchiha. No way would he marry Sakura, even if she became the Godaime Hokage. The Uchiha prestige was at stake!

However, Ino didn't seem too offended by the barb. "There are many paths to becoming a great kunoichi, idiot! Why would I train my body when I can just grab yours?" She stuck her tongue out at Naruto to enrage him further. At first, she was shocked when Naruto summoned the will to get into her unresisting body before fainting, but on reflection, felt even better about her chances. Naruto had clearly trained hard and what's more, his body had ungodly amounts of chakra. She didn't dare try any of the ninjutsu she knew for fear of overdoing it and harming her unblemished beauty, but she had enough speed and power over her admittedly sparsely trained (but smoking hot!) body to win this hands down.

Sakura was incensed. How dare Ino take over her teammate? "Is that even fair, Kakashi-sensei?"

Hatake Kakashi was pleased. His naïve pink-haired student was finally asking the right sort of questions. Maybe she was ready to get a glimpse of the real ninja life. "It's not about being fair. Ninja train to win, by any means necessary. Ino comes from a family of established ninja with specialized techniques and so trains accordingly. She will probably never train her body to even chunin standards, so that she can infiltrate the lax civilian areas of a hidden village without arousing suspicions on her physique, nor will she try to get large chakra reserves. She can afford to focus on her looks all day and practice ferreting out and spreading gossip, since she will be focusing on information gathering and infiltration, depending on her teammates for offense."

Sakura's face was taking on a horrified expression. Kakashi was certain that Sakura was measuring her progress against Ino and now she was learning what a truly bad idea that is. Maybe he should make sure the warning was clear. "If you continue as you are, Sasuke-kun will mostly choose to marry Ino, as she will have a better place in society due to her larger value to Konoha."

Sakura was stricken with doubts and fears over her future as Uchiha Sakura. Sasuke, wisely, said nothing. If this was going to get Sakura to finally take things seriously, he wasn't going ruin it by ridding her of her delusional dreams.

Deciding that he had taught his cute student enough for now, Kakashi returned to watching Naruto carefully. The kid prided himself on never allowing the villagers' hatred to get him off his dream to be Hokage. He was fiercely proud of his meager ninja skills that he felt were truly his, like nothing before was. To have it all taken away by a cheap technique must be playing havoc with his emotions, which he never had much control over. He would no doubt grow to hate this technique more than even (in his view) the thievery-eyes of the Uchiha. Plus, Naruto actually waking up in Ino's body was something unexpected, and ninja were ever weary of such things. He was sure that Inoichi would be here as soon as word reached him, to assess the situation first hand.

Naruto was no genius, but he wasn't stupid either. Normally, he would've appreciated taking the enemy's strength and making it your own as the sneaky, brilliant strategy of a master prank ninja (which he totally was going to be one day). However, as he stood there trembling, getting used to his weak body and its almost non-existent chakra levels, he remembered every grueling night of training, every scrape and drop of blood and tear and sweat he had shed to hone his muscles and wrest his chakra under some form of control. This unfairness was even worse than the ignorant hatred of the villagers. A fellow ninja had done this!

With a scream of rage that hid tears of helpless anger, he launched himself at Ino, who was grinning smugly at him, assured in her position.

Ino was feeling on top of the world. Daddy was always telling her that she should strike when the enemy was confused, but she wanted to show off to all the big-trees present. Let Naruto throw his punch. He wouldn't damage his own body critically anyway, and she wouldn't feel it even if he did try, as she used some her ridiculous amounts of chakra to strengthen her vital areas.

Yamanaka Inoichi appeared in the stands just in time to hear a loud crack as Naruto's nose was broken. Only, his precious flower would be feeling the pain. He suppressed his fatherly instincts and brought forth the persona of the T & I division head. This fight could have disastrous consequences. In fact, he was aware that Sandaime-sama had made the foreign ninja leave with a subtle illusion that made them think that all the interesting fights were done, just in case Uzumaki did anything unexpected. No one currently alive in Konoha completely understood the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, and the interactions of its living bearer with predominantly spiritual chakra techniques like his family's own were only vaguely theorized about. Nothing should happen, as the demon was buried deep in Naruto's own subconscious mind, but he couldn't even be sure in whose body the Kyuubi was contained in at this moment.

Naruto had been seized with a sudden need to _hurt_ Ino for rendering his hard-earned efforts useless. He knew that he was too weak to do much, so he had hit his own nose as hard as he could, knowing that it was still slightly tender from being broken in the Forest of Death. It had healed, but not completely.

Ino screamed in pain, though that didn't stop her from distancing herself from Naruto. The idiot just broke his own nose! And how did he even do that? She had beat Shikamaru up so many times in genuine anger over his laziness, but even then, she hadn't done this much damage with just one punch.

Naruto instinctively knew that this was his chance. Ino was reluctant to hurt him, but he had no such hesitation. His body could take anything he dealt, believe it! But he was sure that pampered little Ino wouldn't be able to handle the pain.

Ino was frantically trying to defend herself, but Naruto was uncharacteristically ruthless in his attack. She thought he would try to knock her unconscious to try and end the switch, and took care to protect her head and upper body. The next thing she knew, there was a burning pain in her left kneecap that was vying remorselessly with the one in her nose. The spectators got a chance once again to hear how Uzumaki Naruto's scream of pain sounded.

Sasuke was taken aback, not from Naruto's attacks, but by their success. "Kakashi-sensei, I know that Naruto's body is way stronger and has more chakra than Ino's, so how is he breaking stuff so easily?" He was itching to turn on his Sharingan, but didn't feel like dealing with Orochimaru's vile chakra just for some taijutsu trick of the idiot.

Kakashi's voice was grim, knowing that the other genin and even the jounin were interested in his answer. Well, since no foreigners were around, he didn't feel too bad about making them see the light. "You are aware that Mizuki was a traitor. Like most of Konoha, he hated Naruto. Unfortunately, he was actually in a position to exercise his hatred by teaching Naruto sloppy taijutsu forms. Just slight differences, but enough that the kneecap was fractured in a spar with Iruka, who expected a proper block from Naruto. Needless to say, it would've been much deadlier a mistake in an actual fight."

Shikamaru piped in "Wouldn't the medical ninja have fixed him up, though? They've treated much more severe injuries perfectly."

Kakashi looked at Shikamaru sharply. Of course the Nara heir understood something was amiss and was pointing it out to his peers. It seemed his cute blond student had at least one neutral classmate. "Obviously, he wasn't treated properly." In more than one sense, he added in his own mind. Let the little genius figure that out for himself, he thought as he turned away.

Ino was reeling in pain, dearly wishing that she had used Naruto's moment of doubt while it had lasted. Her opponent was closing in on yet another attack, but she was determined to have the last laugh. Even after taking this much damage, this body felt ready to soldier on. She caught the approaching fist and effortlessly pried it open, momentarily humbled by her body's lack of resistance. She unceremoniously shoved that truth aside and cut her current tongue on a fingernail, simultaneously kicking Naruto back across the chamber. She didn't even realize that she had used her bad leg until afterwards. This much chakra was making her recover faster, she realized in fascination. How Naruto managed to be the dead last with this kind of advantage, she would never understand.

As the onlookers watched on in shock (and some with a twisted jealousy), Inoichi took it upon himself to explain. After all, it was to his daughter's advantage if everyone knew her actions to be tactics of a specialized kunoichi and not that of a simple teenager. "We Yamanakas have a special toxin that combines, in set circumstances, to highly destabilize and suppress the target's chakra system, while activating the brain cells into an agitated state. We do want the target conscious for questioning."

Ino allowed the effects of the toxin to start, before raising her hands with a pained grimace. She definitely needed to name the technique now. "Mind-Body Switch!" She got up, comfortable in her own skin again.

Contrary to her father's remarks, Ino saw that Naruto didn't rise from the floor, despite the nature of the toxin. She sighed. Looks like Kakashi-sensei was right about him being the Number One Unpredictable Ninja of Konoha. Naruto would take this loss hard, but she was going to make it up to him. He had really impressed her. She turned to face the proctor. "Please conclude the match, proc-"

That was all she managed before she joined Naruto on the floor.

Gekkō Hayate coughed once, to get the crowd's attention. "That was unexpected. As both participants are unable to continue, I declare this match a draw." Just a little too late, Ino struggled and stood once more. These kids sure are strong, he acknowledged to himself. I don't think I would've lasted this long, if I was either of them.

Suddenly, all the ninja in the chamber felt uneasy. It wasn't fear, but more of a tendency to shift and squirm like an insincere student, as The Professor rose from his seat. "What have you done with Yamanaka Ino?"

The genin were shocked at this transformation in someone they had hitherto seen as a benevolent, harmless old man, but were even more shocked at the mocking, cruel tone in which Ino replied.

"Oh, she is safely locked inside, old man. It is easy to construct cages in a mind when I have been inside one for so long, myself."

Inoichi was about to leap into action, when her daughter's beautiful eyes fixed him with a piercing look, accompanied with a flare of chakra so enormous that he froze despite himself. That flare indicated chakra levels that eclipsed his own. Sarutobi Hiruzen did not sit, but neither did he try to interfere. To him, that chakra felt exactly like Naruto's.

"What's going on?" Kiba tried to sound brave, but no one could blame him for sounding timid.

A sneer was directed at the speaker. "What, Kiba-chan? Don't want to accept that Uzumaki Naruto has way more chakra than you do? You do recognize my chakra, I hope. That Inuzuka nose ought to be good for something."

Shino frowned. "You are not Uzumaki Naruto. Why? Because you do not act like him. Your posture is much more aggressive and the tone of your voice is different."

Naruto laughed; a bitter laugh full of scorn that disturbed even Sasuke. "Oh, I am certainly not the Naruto you saw every day. Not the Naruto who cried himself to sleep many a night, wondering why everyone hated him, wondering why no one wanted to be his friend and most of all, wondering why he didn't have a mother and father to protect him like all the other kids at the Academy." He turned to Inoichi with a beseeching look, his tone perfectly pleading and hopeful "Do you think I'm a Yamanaka, Inoichi-san, based on what you've seen in this match? I even look similar to your clan members!"

Inoichi only scowled. Should I confirm his hope, or deny them? Which would be best for Ino? Worse, what if he knows the truth? This new personality of Naruto was cunning enough to lay a trap, rudimentary though it may be.

Kakashi spoke up in a confident voice "I know you are the Naruto who vowed to protect all those precious to you. The Naruto who wants to be Hokage, and protect all of Konoha, no matter what the villagers think of him."

Naruto gave his teacher a cold look. "I am not a foolish child who wanted your approval so much that he was willing to ignore your obvious partiality towards the Last Uchiha, _sensei_. What do you know of my dreams, when you tolerate me only out of some sense of self-recrimination?"

Kakashi's visible eye drooped. Though Naruto became a prankster in a bid for attention later in his childhood, he had been a normal boy, hungry only for the right kind of attention, when he was little. He remembered the Naruto who cried himself to sleep, before he just stopped one day. This was the Naruto from before, when Kakashi himself was still an ANBU guarding him from afar. Maybe Naruto will recall something, he thought, as he subtly brought forth his ANBU persona. His posture straightened, his original eye opened, his ears picked up the faint sounds of breathing of his genin teammates and even his scent changed as his chakra flowed more intensely within him.

Naruto smirked when he recognized the change. "So you are Wolf. Why would an ANBU captain be interested in me, though? Are you my father, Kakashi-sensei? Did you feel ashamed of getting someone pregnant? I never heard of you being married to anyone. Is that why you didn't openly acknowledge me?"

Kakashi felt a lot of eyes on him. The cute little kids were comparing his looks with Naruto's while the Jounin who were wary of his reaction. He only chuckled, deciding to play the game. "You always had good ears, Naruto, and an even better nose. Maybe you are an Inuzuka. Release Ino, and we'll go ask Tsume if she knows anything."

"I'm not the gullible Naruto you know, Kakashi-_sensei_, who believes everything he hears from those he trusts, and ignores harsh truths from those who hate him." Naruto glanced at the proctor. "Don't make any foolish moves, proctor-san. Ino's body may be weak, but I can turn her into a coma victim before you can blink. Worse, I can force her into loving me. She already has an obsession with dear Sasuke-kun. It will be easy to turn that obsession on to me. I have lots of experience with unrequited crushes myself, you know." He smiled at Sakura, who was still speechless. "It's always easier to work on common grounds. Foolish beliefs in something only we can see is something 'I' have in common with poor Ino-chan."

Sasuke could keep silent no longer. "Kakashi-sensei, why does everyone believe Naruto is suddenly a threat? He was dead last in the Academy. I doubt if he knows how to carry out his threats. Besides, in Ino's body, I doubt he even has enough chakra to do anything. He must have used up most of it in the attempt to scare us."

Though he had kept his voice low, Naruto addressed him directly. "Don't you know anything, Rookie of the Year? Chakra is part physical and part mental energy. I may not have my body, but this is my mind. I have half my chakra, and that is more than all the ninja in this room put together. The dead last you knew was hurt by the neglect shown by the instructors, so he didn't want to hear anything they said. But I listened, and I learnt. More than you know. If you think you know better, come down and face me, and you can answer to the Yamanakas for what might happen to Ino."

Kakashi laid an arm on Sasuke's shoulder to prevent him from doing anything foolish, as Asuma did the same with Shikamaru. Chouji was hesitant, as he considered Naruto a friend, still. As the senior ninja were debating their course of action within themselves, they were surprised once again when the prone Uzumaki Naruto twitched, waking with a groan and directing a confused "Ino?" at his opponent.

Hiruzen's worries compounded. He was sure that this was the Naruto he knew and loved. He did not think the Kyuubi was in possession of little Ino-chan, but though he was known to many as the God of Shinobi, he was nowhere close to omniscience. But he had his suspicions. 'Did I really cause Naruto so much grief by measuring my attentions so carefully?' he lamented to himself.

Naruto's opponent smiled chillingly at him. "Not quite. I am Uzumaki Naruto, more or less."

Naruto ignored the sharp pain in his knee and nose. The Kyuubi's chakra would fix it up soon enough, though he felt that it was working slower than usual. "What the hell? I am Uzumaki Naruto, believe it!" Though outwardly he was confidant, he was worries inside. Ino had used some weird mind jutsu on him. What if the Kyuubi had taken over her body? He didn't dare say it, though. He didn't want to face disgust and fear on the faces of the few he called his friends.

"Who can I be, if I am not Naruto? Or do you think I am Ino, playing a grand prank on the ninja of Konoha?"

Naruto was scared, but he had vowed to protect his precious people. If he had to earn their hatred to do so, then so be it. "You're the Kyuubi!"

The so-called Kyuubi laughed. "And how could the Kyuubi have appeared in this fight? Didn't the great hero of Konoha, the Yondaime Hokage, kill the Kyuubi so long ago? When was that, exactly? I forget the exact date."

Naruto hesitated. He knew he was being baited, but he had to do what he could to convince his fellow genin of the danger. "October tenth, my birthday."

Shikamaru was not the only one who frowned. His knew that his dad gathered with a few friends to remember the Kyuubi attack each year on that day, but he didn't know, despite being one of the few to cut classes and hang out with Naruto in the Academy, that it was also Naruto's birthday.

Ino's laugher sounded harsh in the light of dreaded possibilities. "I'm glad to see your friends finally know that piece of trivia. Still, why should that day be important to them? Do you think anyone in Konoha cares that we were born that day, when so many of their _precious_ people died?"

"Don't say 'we'! You are the Kyuubi that the Yondaime sealed into me to save Konoha! I won't let you hurt Ino, believe it." Where jounin and even the Hokage were paralyzed by doubt, Naruto threw himself at his opponent, secure in his conviction, in the strength of his body and in his hard earned skills. Ino's hand, coated in chakra so dense that it was brightly visible, swatted him aside like a fly, to crash into a wall with such force that he cracked the plaster.

"Do you think you can beat me just because I'm in this weak body? I will never give up! That is my nindo!"

The next two seconds were a blur to inexperienced eyes. Kakashi, Gai and Asuma had converged on Ino's body, to restrain and incapacitate, but the rookies gasped as three tails of boiling chakra emerged from Ino's back and wrapped around their throats.

The Hokage still stayed his hand, hoping against all odds that this situation can be resolved. After all, nobody had been permanently injured yet. He put his trust in Naruto, feeling in his heart that he could reach out to him, though he was in pieces from the way Konoha had let him down. He was sure that this was not the Kyuubi, though more evidence had just appeared against his instinct. "What do you want?" he asked, as poor, brave Naruto struggled to his feet, blood leaking from his nose and mouth.

Ino's body turned to face him, even as the three tails swung to dangle the jounin between itself and Naruto. They didn't move, as the chakra was not even hurting them, only holding them in place. "Well, _jiji_, tell everyone why the Naruto over there believes I am the Kyuubi. You wouldn't want anyone to think your pseudo grandson is insane, do you? On top of all the stuff they already think, of course."

The Sandaime hung his head slightly, weary now for the decisions made in doubt and grief. Perhaps it was time to listen to the son who was alive and hurting, rather than the father who meant well, but was dead. "On the day Naruto was born, the Kyuubi attacked Konoha."

He was interrupted by the very person who asked him to speak. "Are you sure that the Kyuubi didn't attack Konoha because Naruto was born?" Sakura squeaked in fright as the implacable eyes of her once best friend locked on to hers. "Sakura-chan, didn't your mother tell you that you shouldn't play with Naruto because he was a monster? Didn't she whisper in your ears that he was responsible for the Kyuubi killing your father's teammates, and so many other brave shinobi and kunoichi of Konoha?" Sakura recoiled. She didn't think Naruto had heard her mother warning her away from him.

Hiruzen spoke up as Sakura shook her head in fright. "Don't blame anyone but me for that. I tried to protect your childhood by keeping the sealing a secret, but the people were too warped by loss to follow the Yondaime's wish that you be seen as a hero for protecting Konoha with this burden."

Naruto, the one in his own body, was looking at his friends, to gauge their reactions. They were recalling the things the adults always said about him and how they could never get a straight answer for why they couldn't befriend him.

But his counterpart had things to say. "Don't dare justify your actions, old man! You allowed the people of Konoha their grief, uncaring of the monstrous toll it took on us. We had no one to share our grief. You refused to even reveal your knowledge of our birth. Don't deny that you know who they are! You're the great Professor, who knows every ninja who ever served under him."

Kakashi was shocked. He never thought Naruto would've guessed at the truth. If the person shaking with anger was indeed the exuberant but gentle kid that he knew. "Oh, how we wished that our mother was a beautiful and deadly kunoichi of Konoha, and our father a great hero, like some secret ANBU or even the Yondaime, if only to forget the _hateful_ whispers that accused our parents of being traitors of Konoha who had abandoned their comrades and fled before the Kyuubi. And how we loathed them all, and _you_ most of all, for refusing to erase the seed of doubt in our heart that such whispers might be true!"

Naruto had to be heard. "Stop thinking we're the same, whoever you are! I chose not to care who my parents were. I had jiji, and the Ichirakus, and I decided to become the greatest Hokage ever, to prove that I was no demon. I gave up on helpless tears and hatred long ago, so don't go thinking I'm the same as you!"

Inoichi hung his head in shame. "The boy's mind has splintered, unable to cope with the enormous stress of his life, that of being hated without even knowing why."

Shikamaru grumbled. "Troublesome. I sometimes thought Naruto didn't even notice what people were saying around him." He flinched as his teammate's face glared at him with a fury much different than what he was used to from Ino. "I have very sharp ears, Shikamaru." The latter actually sighed in relief when that angry face looked away, to his other half.

"But you, I know how you resented those hurtful words, how you cried every night for something to change, to just know why! I agree, we're not the same. I have the ears that heard all the curses you did anything not to hear. I am the mind with all the knowledge you refused to gain, in your stubborn rejection of all who shunned you. I am all the parts of you that you buried in your haste to repay your beloved jiji and the Ichirakus for their paltry acceptance. I am the part of you that _hates_, for all that we suffered. I am Uzumaki Naruto, and I want to be acknowledged!"

With that statement, Dark Naruto tossed the three jounin back to the balcony with a flick of his tails.

The proctor, very unsure of what was expected of him, looked at his Hokage. He received his orders in the form of discrete hand-signs. He jumped back on to the balcony and signaled to those patrolling outside the tower, passing on instructions.

The two Narutos in the arena paid him no mind, instead staring at each other. Some of the genin were shuffling awkwardly, sensing that things were getting to levels out of their league.

Naruto braced himself "From what you've said, I get that I didn't follow things as well as you, but don't underestimate me! You want to get back at all those who hurt us. You want to hurt them back. Well, I promised to protect all the people of Konoha when Iruka-sensei declared me a ninja! I'm going to stop you!" As he spoke, his chakra gathered around him, a visible shade of blue, bright as the sky, that left the younger watchers in awe.

But even though he launched himself at a speed his classmates couldn't even follow, he was slammed back into the wall once again by a single tail of chakra. It had formed a huge hand that held him in place, slowly overwhelming his chakra with its own burning red one.

Dark Naruto's voice was full of rage. "You're still stupid! Do you think the people of Konoha care about your dreams? I was going to stay hidden till we had more freedom, but Ino has brought me out by messing where she shouldn't have. No one is going to let us remain a ninja after this."

He glared at the Hokage "Old man", he hissed with a sneer, "I want to leave your precious village. I'm gonna knock out my weaker, stupider half and take him with me. I'll keep this body till I'm safely away. You understand how this works, don't you?"

Inoichi was a good father, but he was a ninja first. He had to say the words. "Ino-chan may be my precious flower, but Konoha is not going to just let their jinchuuriki go, Uzumaki-san, not for a single genin."

There were gasps from the more naïve of the rookies, and frowns as their teachers considered the truth in that statement.

Dark Naruto had a sinister grin that looked especially scary to Shikamaru, on Ino's face. "That was just the ring end of the kunai, Inoichi-sama. The blade end of the deal is this. I do share some traits with him." He nodded at Naruto, who was struggling to overthrow the grip of Kyuubi's chakra. "I don't really want to hurt anyone, as you may have noticed by now, but I am not blind to reality when it doesn't favour me. If anyone tries to stop me, I'll kill them. I do agree that I can be overwhelmed, but if anyone attempts to so, I'll release the Kyuubi, and the puny barrier your fellow ninja are erecting outside this tower won't do anything to protect your home or family."

Hiruzen hardened his heart. This was going to end in either his own death or the death of someone he considered family. He wished it could be the former, but for the innocent people of Konoha, it had to be the latter. He addressed the threat with diamond-hard calm. "Very well, Naruto. I will take the barrier down, and allow you to leave. But, I will be personally following you to retrieve Ino-chan's body once you have relinquished it, to make sure you keep your end of the deal. Is this agreeable?"

But it was Naruto's own voice that replied. "Jiji, no! Konoha is my home, and I will not leave until I become Hokage!" With an immense burst of chakra, he pushed back the hand that was holding him immobile.

The tail of chakra that was holding him burst apart, with only two remaining to Ino's body. Dark Naruto snarled as his pupils slit and his canines elongated as he brought out more of the Kyuubi's chakra in retaliation. "You idiot! I'm doing this for us! Stop being stupidly selfless and think about yourself for once. Even if you manage to stop me, the Yamanakas will ruin your mind searching for any lingering traces of me. Do you think the Uzumaki Naruto that Konoha knew till now will remain the same afterwards? We'll simply be a broken shell, a weapon to be used as this village wishes. This is how the world works. Just come with me, and we will leave to some place where we won't be hated."

The rookies took short, nervous glances at Inoichi's stoic face, gauging the extent of truth in Naruto's assumption. Meanwhile, Hyuuga Hinata finally found the courage to speak. "Not- Not everyone in Konoha h-hates you, Naruto-kun."

Dark Naruto had a sad grimace on his face. "We didn't dare believe that, not after the innocent acceptance of the rare few kids was smothered again and again by the malice of their family. I know that such a rich, noble clan as yours will never approve of friendship with a penniless orphan, without even taking into account what I hold inside. I am not going to burden myself with unattainable dreams, and neither should you. Konoha is no home to me and I simply want to protect myself from being hurt."

Naruto gave an astonished glance at Hinata. But he steeled himself and faced his opponent a moment later. "You want to be acknowledged, right? Well, I acknowledge you. You are a part of me. A part which scares me, which I decided to bury deep inside. But I told you, don't underestimate me. You say won't hurt anyone, but I know how much Kyuubi's chakra burns. Ino's body won't last much longer. You're really willing to risk her death so that you can have freedom, right? Well, forget it! I'm a sworn ninja of Konohagakure and I'll protect my fellow ninja, believe it!"

Ino's eyes turned dark violet as Dark Naruto went into a combat ready stance. "You still believe in foolish dreams. You still talk too loudly without backing it up with skill and action. You still won't see the harsh truths of reality. Well, I do, and I'm doing this for you. You know nothing other than the way you were treated by these despicable people and believe it is all okay because you think you have a few friends. I'm telling you now, they'll all abandon us given the right incentive. If you still think you're right, prove it by beating me and saving your precious Ino. I'll never give up until you see reality like I do, believe it!"

Hinata actually yelped in fright as the chakra around Ino's body began to bubble and swirl rapidly, as though it was actually boiling. More and more of the Kyuubi's chakra was being drawn out, until the pressure of the chakra was making her weak with dread.

Naruto gave her his friends a long glance, this time with a crooked grin that Hinata knew was hiding a lot of pain. "I'm sorry that I didn't accept what I was seeing, Hinata-chan. But don't worry! I don't go back on my word! I'll protect you with my own two hands!"

Hiruzen hastily gathered his chakra, slowly matching the levels being drawn by Dark Naruto. "Don't, Naruto! I'll take care of it." Dark Naruto pulled up another tail of chakra in preparation.

Naruto gave his pseudo-grandfather a pleading glance. "Jiji, wait! He's a part of me. He won't go back on his word, I know it! He'll release the Kyuubi, no matter what! He's giving me a chance to fight, so I'll take it."

Hiruzen stayed his hand. Naruto screamed.

The ninja present watched, sickened, as Naruto's body too began gathering Kyuubi's chakra. Pieces of his skin tore off and burnt in a flash. His blood smoked and turned black as it mixed with the chakra. His whisker marks broadened into streaks, his eyes turned red, his claws and canines grew out rapidly.

Hiruzen manipulated his chakra to wash over the frightened children. "Calm yourself. He is drawing as much of the Kyuubi's chakra as he can into his own body to prevent his other self from using it." His voice cracked. "Naruto, would you really bear this much pain for our foolish and misguided village?"

This time, it was Dark Naruto who attacked at his opponent. However, his charge was stopped instantly as Naruto let one hand pierce his palm, while he caught the other in his free hand. It wasn't enough to move him back even an inch, though.

Dark Naruto grimaced. "This body is weak. No matter, I can compensate." A fourth tail of chakra erupted to join the existing ones, even as red and blue bubbles of chakra burst out to hang in the air.

Naruto bit his own lips, to distract himself from a greater pain to come. "I won't let you!" One by one, five shining tails of chakra formed in the air. Where Dark Naruto's tails burned a sullen red and inflamed the very air, these ones glowed like a beacon in the darkness. His darker half bored into the floor with his tails, resisting to the end, but Naruto had the body with better reserves, and bit by bit, all the chakra was absorbed into himself, the tails receding into the amoebic cloak.

Inoichi was hoping that his daughter's ordeal was over, but his personal nightmare wasn't over yet. Ino's body was still standing, somehow. But clearly, both of Naruto's personalities were in his own body now. Everyone could see the internal struggle, revealed by the clash of burnt and bright orange chakra over two halves of Naruto's body.

"It's over… I didn't hurt anyone… I'm sorry…" That was the voice of a boy with too many burdens forced upon him, who had almost lost himself to the feared darkness.

"No! No! I can't go back inside. They'll never let me live in peace. I won't give up!" That was the very essence of hidden resentments and bitterness, given voice. "Kyuubi… Help me… Come out, come out, and show everyone how much this hurts!"

Naruto fell to his knees, once again screaming his lungs out. His pitch wavered along with his very self as he alternately mumbled apologies and threats. His body shook, as though he was freezing rather than burning, as tails in every shade of orange lashed about, hitting each other, the ground, sometimes flailing though the air without a shred of purpose.

The Sandaime Hokage snapped his troops into action with a sharp command. "Kakashi! Asuma! Naruto is clearly unaware of his surroundings. Get Yamanaka Ino into safety and proceed to subduing Naruto. The rest of you will protect the genin."

The unstable figure thrashing on the ground reacted to the sudden movement like a veteran of a dozen wars. Out of the chaos, two tails struck like whips with no regard for moderation. Two bodies slammed into walls; skin burned, flesh tore and bones snapped. Naruto rose to all fours, as bones and flesh formed _over_ his form, his own body being overtaken by the entity within. The screams became growls.

Hiruzen prepared to launch himself into the fray to get Ino's body out of danger. The Hokage was responsible for the lives of all his ninja, down to the last genin. But he stopped from pure shock, as chains of dense chakra burst out of Ino and pinned Naruto's tails down.

He watched, amazed and feeling hopeful again, as the Kyuubi's chakra withdrew instinctually, dissolving the monstrous form over Naruto's body. The woman, he could tell by the ease of her gait (not counting the small part of his mind insisting that it knew just who this was), approached Naruto hesitantly, holding back pain and heartache.

She knelt over Naruto, holding up his trembling face in her arms. She didn't flinch back from the strange eyes, one blue and one red, both darkened due to the tug-of-war inside, but simply spoke to him, with a fierce pride. "Naruto-kun, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from all this, but you're doing very well on your own. There's no need to fight now, especially when you're the only one looking after yourself."

Hinata spoke in her quietest whisper, not wanting to interrupt the help Naruto was getting. "Kurenai-sensei… That- That person isn't Ino. The chakra is- is different."

She jumped when she found an unfamiliar hand on her shoulder. She didn't need to turn around, though, to know that it belonged to Kakashi-sensei. "It's alright, Hinata. Those eyes of yours are witnessing a miracle. You don't have to worry about Naruto anymore."

"I- I see." Indeed, she saw that though Kakashi-sensei was hurting badly from his injuries (she could see a few cracked ribs and maybe a dislocated shoulder), he was standing straight with both eyes wide open. One of them was the fabled Sharingan, and it looked as though he was doing his best to set this sight into memory.

Not-Ino was whispering soothingly to Naruto. "You don't have to fight now, Naruto-kun. Being Hokage and protecting everyone is a wonderful dream, but you should also take care of yourself. You needn't care what hurtful people say about you, but you should recognize those who truly care. You need both your halves, Naruto. Don't reject one for the other. If you do that, you won't be Uzumaki Naruto anymore."

It was working. The two halves of the shroud, till now resisting like oil and water, mixed into each other and settled back into Naruto, as the internal struggle ended.

Uzumaki Naruto slowly stood upright, feeling strange. He felt the decisions taken by two parts of him, each finally accepting the other, yet he thought of himself as someone different. He regretted that he didn't seem to care, as much as he remembered, about his dream of becoming Hokage. It was still his number one dream, believe it! But, he now accepted that he couldn't continue on that path if he was going to hurt himself in the way. Wait! Someone was actually hugging him! A battered someone, who looked exactly like Ino, but he knew that deep, warm chakra. In a flash, he remembered everything that had happened, even as he recalled that bright, soothing chakra that once made him sleep on his worst nights.

He didn't want to hope, fearing disappointment. But as he focused on that chakra, it gave him strength, like always. "Mum?" His voice was loud in the silence that had descended after the storm.

Sarutobi Asuma felt a terrible sadness. "Has the poor kid cracked?" he murmured. He had always put the village jinchuuriki out of his mind, just writing him off as his father's problem. Besides, he knew how much his dad cared about the kid and thought, perhaps resentfully, that such personal attention from the Hokage, coming at the cost of his own family, ought to be enough for anyone. He now regretted avoiding Naruto when the little kid was showing interest in him at his father's house. Maybe he could have made a difference.

His father proved his assumptions wrong. "How are you here Kushina?"

The now-revealed Kushina ignored him in favour of her child. "Of course, Naruto-kun. I'm so sorry the Kyuubi had to be sealed in you, but I wasn't gonna go and die without having some way to look after you, believe it!"

Naruto had fresh tears in his eyes, but of happiness this time as he finally let his exhaustion catch up with him. Kushina caught him gently as he fell and, uncaring of the audience, sat and pulled her son into her lap, reveling in the moment.

Naruto was yearning for a nice, long nap. But he had to take care of his comrades first. "Is Ino all right?"

His mother gave him a teasing smile. "My little boy, all grown up! Look at you getting all worried about a girl!" She went further and planted a wet, sloppy kiss on his forehead.

Naruto jumped up as though he had been burnt. "Ew! You still look like Ino! Don't do that!" He cooled down, a faint frown on his face. "Why isn't Ino coming out?"

His mother lost the longing look. "She's perfectly fine, son."

He took a deep breath. "I promised myself that I wouldn't ignore things that didn't fit anymore. If you're really my mum, show me what you look like. Please."

"If I use the last bit of my chakra left in the seal, I won't be able to last any longer, Naruto-kun." At his unrelenting stare, she sighed. Her hair morphed to a vibrant, fiery red and her eyes turned violet as she grew taller, topping Naruto's youthful stature by almost a foot. She flared the last bit of her chakra, infusing it with all the warmth and love she felt for her only child and Naruto didn't resist as she opened her arms to him.

Uzumaki Kushina was smiling through her tears as chakra bled off her like embers from a fire. "I'm so glad to meet you, Naruto. Eat lots of vegetables. Sleep and wake up early. Don't put things off for later. Listen to your elders. Make some good friends. A few sincere ones will do. Oh, there's so much more I want to say!"

The onlookers fidgeted in discomfort as the ever shouting and smiling Naruto sniffled, holding back tears. "Don't worry about me, mum! I'm gonna be the best son ever! I'm- I'm glad to meet you too." A great warmth was engulfing his chest and he didn't know how to express it in words. "I like your pretty hair! It's my new favourite colour, believe it!"

Kushina let out the sob that her son was holding back. "I love you too, Naruto. Never forget that, no matter what, got it? I love you more than anything!"

There was a blinding flash, and Naruto was now hugging a rousing Ino. "Ah, Naruto…" She squirmed for a second, before limply accepting defeat. "You're hugging the most beautiful kunoichi of Konoha, baka. You owe me a lot of dinners, or else…"

AN: That's the tale of the breaking and reconstruction of Uzumaki Naruto. Thank you for sticking with the story till here. Feedback is appreciated. Believe it! Cover page done by Hanuro-Sakura. Check out her works at hanuro-sakura dot deviantart dot com!


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